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October 7, 1983 • Vol. 14, No. 39 75 Outside of D.C./Baltimore Areas
AFL-CIO
convention
supports
Gay rights
by Dave Walter
The nation's largest labor federation
has for the first time gone on record as
supporting Gay civil rights. The AFL-CIO,
at its 15th Biennial Constitution
Convention in Hollywood, Florida,
unanimously approved a Gay rights
resolution during a voice vote Tuesday
by convention delegates.
The resolution states,-in part,". . . the
AFL-CIO protests any personnel
actions taken against any worker merely
on the basis of sexual orientation...and
urges the enactment of legislation at the
federal, state, and local levels that would
guarantee the civil rights of all persons,
without regard to sexual orientation, in
employment, -housing, credit, public
- accommodations :and public services-"_ -
The resolution is similar to measures
passed previously by the Ameriran
Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the
International Ladies Garment Workers
Union (ILGWU), and the Service
Employees Union International (SEUI),
and was introduced to the AFL-CIO by
SEUI president John Sweeney. "
Bill Olwell, an openly' Gay vice
Continued on page 10
THE GAY WEEKLY OF THE NATION'S CAPITAL
Gay rights profile igh
But Lesbian vice president resigns
by Lisa M. Keen
Lesbians and Lesbian rights were a
highly visible part of the National
Organization for Women's 16th annual
meeting at the Washington Hilton last
weekend. But at the same time Lesbian
rights were being pushed to the forefront
of the convention, one high-ranking
Lesbian within the NOW leadership
resigned, saying some NOW leaders
were seeking to "decrease [her]
visibility."
Barbara Timmer, vice president-executive
for NOW who last November
told a national Gay group that the
women's movement had enabled her to
"say out loud that I was a Lesbian,"
offered her resignation to the NO
board at its meeting on Thursday,
September 29. Timmer said she had not
been able to become "part of the team"
of NOW leaders had began to consider
resigning in early August after the other
NOW officers met without her and
decideeLto strip her of the vice president-.
executive's liaison role to NOW's
conference committee.
Timmer_s aid she believes the decision
to remove the liaison responsibility was
an attempt to "decrease flier] visibility"
among NOW members so that NOW
leaders could replace her with "who they
want in 1984."
Tinimer said she believes the reason
she had not been able to become "part of
the team" was because she had not been
among the slate of officers endorsed by
former NOW president Eleanor Smeal
in last year's elections.
A similar charge was made following
the 1979 NOW conference after openly
Lesbian activist Arlie Scott lost her bid
for vice-president-action against Jane
Wells-Schooley, who was also said to
have been "handpicked" by Smeal for
the slate. Some Lesbian NOW members
charged NOW leadership with trying to
"purge" Lesbians from the organization
and keep them behind-the-scenes, and
some resigned from NOW in protest.
Timmer, however, said she does not
believe Lesbian visibility is "the
problem" in NOW leadership's decision
to decrease her role.
NOW leaders were staying tight-lipped
over Timmer's resignation this
week. Judy Goldsmith, president of
NOW, issued a brief statement saying
"This is an internal, administrative
matter and at Barbara's request I will not
comment further." Mary jean Collins,
vice-president-action, did not return a
reporter's call. And Kathy Webb,
secretary for NOW and former
president of an Arkansas Gay rights
group, refused to comment.
Timmer said her resignation will
become effective sometime in December
unless a replacement is found sooner,
and that she plans to remain a member of
the organi7ation and work at the local
chapter level.
a
_
TIMMER: December departure.
During Sunday's forum for presiden-tial
candidates, the issue of Gay rights
was repeatedly raised, either in the
candidates' speeches themselves or in
the question-and-answer segment of the
Continued on page 27
AIDS vigil, black conference this weekend
by Dave Walter
"AIDS isn't a death sentence. People are
_ beating this disease. People are holding
-their own."
"I am not a victim. ...People with
AIDS aren't coming down to Washington
as victims." -
The first statement is from Michael
Callen; the second from Arty Felson.
Both are Gay New Yorkers who have
AIDS. Both plan to participate in AIDS
Vigil activities this weekend.
The major event will be Saturday
evening's candlelight vigil. Clint
Hockenberry, co-coordinator of the
National AIDS Vigil Commission,
predicted "between 10;000 and 20,000"
people would show up for the march.
F.arly estimates ranged up to 100,000.
Callen and Felson—both founders of
the New York-based People with
AIDS—told the Blade the size of the
crowd makes no difference; the
gathering of persons with AIDS is more
important.
'It's a coming together," said Felson,
"to share our support with each
other... .to share 'war stories,' and-happiness
at being alive. ."
"This vigil could revita1i7e people
who are suffering from AIDS," Callen
said in a separate interview. "It will be
HOCKENBERRY: predicts 10,000
-20,000 for vigil.
very healing for all of us to get together
and be with each other."
When speeches are given following
the march down Pennsylvania Avenue to
the Capitol, they'll be made not by Gay
Continued on page 10
by Lou Chibbaro jr.
Black Gays, as they launch a first-of-its-
kind black Gay conference this
weekend, are predicting that they will
soon become more visible and consider-ably
more influential within the local
Gay community and in District of
Columbia politics.
The D.C. Black Gay Men and
Women's Community Conference, set
for October 7-9 at Howard University,
culminates six months of planning and
introspection among its organizers.
And many of the organi7ers say they
plan to address a set of circumstances
they view as paradoxical: in a city with a
70 percent,black population and a Gay
community with a comparable percent-age
of blacks, the principal Gay political
and social service organizations are
dominated by whites.
In a series of interviews, black Gays
involved with the conference have
insisted their intention is not to
"displace" white Gays or to push for
separatism among white and black Gays.
"The white Gay community should
realize that black Gays are not a threat
and that we don't want to take anything
away," said Lawrence Washington,
chairman of the coiiference and a former
WASHINGTON: sees increased
unity from conference.
president of the D.C. Coalition of Black
Gays.
"What we hope to do," Washington
said, "is develop a means of increasing
the communication, cooperation, and
Continued on page 11

October 7, 1983 • Vol. 14, No. 39 75 Outside of D.C./Baltimore Areas
AFL-CIO
convention
supports
Gay rights
by Dave Walter
The nation's largest labor federation
has for the first time gone on record as
supporting Gay civil rights. The AFL-CIO,
at its 15th Biennial Constitution
Convention in Hollywood, Florida,
unanimously approved a Gay rights
resolution during a voice vote Tuesday
by convention delegates.
The resolution states,-in part,". . . the
AFL-CIO protests any personnel
actions taken against any worker merely
on the basis of sexual orientation...and
urges the enactment of legislation at the
federal, state, and local levels that would
guarantee the civil rights of all persons,
without regard to sexual orientation, in
employment, -housing, credit, public
- accommodations :and public services-"_ -
The resolution is similar to measures
passed previously by the Ameriran
Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the
International Ladies Garment Workers
Union (ILGWU), and the Service
Employees Union International (SEUI),
and was introduced to the AFL-CIO by
SEUI president John Sweeney. "
Bill Olwell, an openly' Gay vice
Continued on page 10
THE GAY WEEKLY OF THE NATION'S CAPITAL
Gay rights profile igh
But Lesbian vice president resigns
by Lisa M. Keen
Lesbians and Lesbian rights were a
highly visible part of the National
Organization for Women's 16th annual
meeting at the Washington Hilton last
weekend. But at the same time Lesbian
rights were being pushed to the forefront
of the convention, one high-ranking
Lesbian within the NOW leadership
resigned, saying some NOW leaders
were seeking to "decrease [her]
visibility."
Barbara Timmer, vice president-executive
for NOW who last November
told a national Gay group that the
women's movement had enabled her to
"say out loud that I was a Lesbian,"
offered her resignation to the NO
board at its meeting on Thursday,
September 29. Timmer said she had not
been able to become "part of the team"
of NOW leaders had began to consider
resigning in early August after the other
NOW officers met without her and
decideeLto strip her of the vice president-.
executive's liaison role to NOW's
conference committee.
Timmer_s aid she believes the decision
to remove the liaison responsibility was
an attempt to "decrease flier] visibility"
among NOW members so that NOW
leaders could replace her with "who they
want in 1984."
Tinimer said she believes the reason
she had not been able to become "part of
the team" was because she had not been
among the slate of officers endorsed by
former NOW president Eleanor Smeal
in last year's elections.
A similar charge was made following
the 1979 NOW conference after openly
Lesbian activist Arlie Scott lost her bid
for vice-president-action against Jane
Wells-Schooley, who was also said to
have been "handpicked" by Smeal for
the slate. Some Lesbian NOW members
charged NOW leadership with trying to
"purge" Lesbians from the organization
and keep them behind-the-scenes, and
some resigned from NOW in protest.
Timmer, however, said she does not
believe Lesbian visibility is "the
problem" in NOW leadership's decision
to decrease her role.
NOW leaders were staying tight-lipped
over Timmer's resignation this
week. Judy Goldsmith, president of
NOW, issued a brief statement saying
"This is an internal, administrative
matter and at Barbara's request I will not
comment further." Mary jean Collins,
vice-president-action, did not return a
reporter's call. And Kathy Webb,
secretary for NOW and former
president of an Arkansas Gay rights
group, refused to comment.
Timmer said her resignation will
become effective sometime in December
unless a replacement is found sooner,
and that she plans to remain a member of
the organi7ation and work at the local
chapter level.
a
_
TIMMER: December departure.
During Sunday's forum for presiden-tial
candidates, the issue of Gay rights
was repeatedly raised, either in the
candidates' speeches themselves or in
the question-and-answer segment of the
Continued on page 27
AIDS vigil, black conference this weekend
by Dave Walter
"AIDS isn't a death sentence. People are
_ beating this disease. People are holding
-their own."
"I am not a victim. ...People with
AIDS aren't coming down to Washington
as victims." -
The first statement is from Michael
Callen; the second from Arty Felson.
Both are Gay New Yorkers who have
AIDS. Both plan to participate in AIDS
Vigil activities this weekend.
The major event will be Saturday
evening's candlelight vigil. Clint
Hockenberry, co-coordinator of the
National AIDS Vigil Commission,
predicted "between 10;000 and 20,000"
people would show up for the march.
F.arly estimates ranged up to 100,000.
Callen and Felson—both founders of
the New York-based People with
AIDS—told the Blade the size of the
crowd makes no difference; the
gathering of persons with AIDS is more
important.
'It's a coming together," said Felson,
"to share our support with each
other... .to share 'war stories,' and-happiness
at being alive. ."
"This vigil could revita1i7e people
who are suffering from AIDS," Callen
said in a separate interview. "It will be
HOCKENBERRY: predicts 10,000
-20,000 for vigil.
very healing for all of us to get together
and be with each other."
When speeches are given following
the march down Pennsylvania Avenue to
the Capitol, they'll be made not by Gay
Continued on page 10
by Lou Chibbaro jr.
Black Gays, as they launch a first-of-its-
kind black Gay conference this
weekend, are predicting that they will
soon become more visible and consider-ably
more influential within the local
Gay community and in District of
Columbia politics.
The D.C. Black Gay Men and
Women's Community Conference, set
for October 7-9 at Howard University,
culminates six months of planning and
introspection among its organizers.
And many of the organi7ers say they
plan to address a set of circumstances
they view as paradoxical: in a city with a
70 percent,black population and a Gay
community with a comparable percent-age
of blacks, the principal Gay political
and social service organizations are
dominated by whites.
In a series of interviews, black Gays
involved with the conference have
insisted their intention is not to
"displace" white Gays or to push for
separatism among white and black Gays.
"The white Gay community should
realize that black Gays are not a threat
and that we don't want to take anything
away," said Lawrence Washington,
chairman of the coiiference and a former
WASHINGTON: sees increased
unity from conference.
president of the D.C. Coalition of Black
Gays.
"What we hope to do," Washington
said, "is develop a means of increasing
the communication, cooperation, and
Continued on page 11